Date of Award
2018
Document Type
Thesis
Publication Status
Version of Record
Submission Date
October 2026
Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]
Leeds, John
Abstract
During the English Revolution of the seventeenth century, writers like William Walwyn produced documents contesting the restriction of their liberties. This thesis is a critical edition of Walwyn’s Demurre to the Bill for Preventing the Growth and Spreading of Heresie, unedited since its original publication in 1646. In this text Walwyn advocates for man’s right to question religious orthodoxy in his search for Truth and urges Parliament not to pass a proposed Bill for the harsh punishment of religious sectarians. Prior to a transcription of the text is an introduction to Walwyn and an attempt to situate the reader in the context of his time. Following that is a style and rhetorical analysis, which concludes that despite his rejection of rhetorical practices, Walwyn’s own use of them is effective. Perhaps this skill is one of the reasons that Parliament passed a milder, non-punitive version of the Bill Walwyn argued against.
Extent
85 p.
Recommended Citation
LeClair, Andrew, "On William Walwyn’s Demurre to the Bill for Preventing the Growth and Spreading of Heresie" (2018). Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2010 - 2019. 1985.
https://digitalcommons.fau.edu/etd_general_6/1985
Identifier
FA00013149
Comments
Includes bibliography.|Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2018.|FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection|Includes bibliography.